Will Liquor Freeze?

  Question: Will Liquor Freeze?Answer: It is one of the most common questions and debates about alcoholic beverages... Does liquor freeze? Yes it does, but the freezing point is far below that of water. Exactly what that freezing point is depends on the proof of the liquor. Water freezes at 0°C (32°F) and the freezing point of ethanol alcohol is -114°C (-173.2°F). Alcoholic beverages are a mixture of both alcohol and water (with sugars...

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The Importance of Ice and the Best Way to Use Ice in Its Many Forms

Ice is Important:Cocktails and mixed drinks would be no where without ice. Think about it - this is the one ingredient universal to almost every cocktail made (with the obvious exception of hot drinks and a few cocktails like the Champagne Cocktail). Ice not only chills drinks , but as it melts or is shaken it becomes a part of the mix and because of this, the frozen water deserves more than a little attention. Forms of Ice:There are four...

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5 Steps to Better Cocktails

Do you ever wonder why your cocktails don't taste like the pro's drinks? Sometimes it is the little things that can make the difference between a great cocktail, a mediocre one and one that gets spit into the sink. If you pay attention to the world's best bartenders you will notice that there are a few steps they take when making almost any cocktail that add that "WOW" factor to the drink. If you were to follow these five easy steps every ...

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How to become a Distiller

With the explosion of the craft distilling movement in the United States, one of the biggest challenges to the industry is the lack of good quality training at an affordable cost here in the United States. Too many people purchase a still and set out to make whiskey when they lack the skills and expertise to properly distill. The resulting whiskies from amateur distillers are full of tails, off flavors and other flaws that could easily...

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Whiskey (Whisky) Wisdom

Intro: The world of whiskey is a complex maze of grains, flavors and distillation processes. Four countries produce distinctly different whiskies: Ireland (Irish Whiskey), Scotland (Scotch), America (Bourbon, Tennessee Whiskey, Rye Whiskey, Blended American Whiskey), and Canada (Canadian Whiskey), although whiskey is made throughout the world. This wide market ensures that almost everyone will find a brand or type that they prefer and, when...

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A Guide to Popular Vodka Brands

Choosing the right brand of vodka can be a difficult on because cost, taste, and intended use are important factors we consider. Less expensive brands will generally be hotter and burn in the mouth, these are good for a tight budget or for cocktails with flavorful mixers like a Sex on the Beach. Premium and Super-Premium brands are going to be excellent choices for sipping and light drinks such as Vodka Martinis. Here some popular brands...

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A Guide to Popular Tequila Brands

Like all liquors, tequila varies greatly from brand to brand. First you have to choose the tipo, then mixto vs. 100% agave, beyond that it's a price and taste issue. The brands listed below are meant as a representation of the tequila market and as you can see, the prices can vary greatly. General rule is that the higher the price, the higher the quality. Yet it is all a matter of taste. Recommend your favorite tequila. Here some popular...

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Brandy Basics

Intro:Brandy derives it's name from the Dutch word brandewijn meaning "burned wine" and is a liquor distilled from wine or other fermented fruit juices. Most brandy is 80 proof (40% alcohol)and has been enjoyed for centuries as a cocktail and cooking ingredient. This spirit is not the one to be choosen based solely on price because a low-quality brandy can ruin an otherwise great cocktail.Production:While the process to make brandy varies...

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The Gist of Gin

Intro:Gin was created by Dr. Franciscus Sylvus, a Dutch chemist, in the 16th century as an attempt to cleanse the blood of those suffering from kidney disorders. Sylvus named his creation genièvre, French for juniper. Mass production of gin in England soon followed as King William III used his grudge against France to ban expensive liquor imports from that country and made gin affordable for the masses.Production:Gin is a light-bodied,...

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A Guide to Popular Gin Brands

The theory behind deciding which bottle of gin to pick up at the store is much the same as vodka: find a gin that fits the style of drinks you mix most. If you're on a budget and tend to make flavorful drinks like an English Rose or a Biltmore you can get away with a value brand, though one does want to choose carefully to get a good tasting gin (see recommendations). For the most part, you can not go wrong if you stick with premium or super-premium...

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Introduction to Rum

Intro:It is rather hard to define the entire rum family as a group because of the variety of rum produced. Each of the light, gold, dark and spiced rums have their own distinct characteristics and furthermore the rums produced in each country differ from one another due to varying laws and tradition in production. History:After Columbus's introduction of sugarcane to the West Indies in 1493 the first rum was produced in Brazil, Barbados...

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Mixology v. Bartending

On Rolling in the Deep Bartenders: In packed neighborhoods teeming with nightclubs (Chelsea, The Village, MPD, LES, Bedford), filled with weekend bridge-and-tunnel drunkards, bartenders are expected to handle a bar 3 or 4 deep for hours, without suffering a mental breakdown or losing money. Mixologists: Doesn’t happen.  A lot of mixologists hone their skills either in boutique or high-end hotel bars – places like PDT...

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White Peach and Basil Margarita

Here's a little history on this cocktail - I was inspired by a drink called "Peaches and Herb" from this book (which I love and totally reccomend, btw). The original drink called for peaches, sage, and brandy, but the peach and sage combo didn't really do it for me (peaches - delcious; sage - meh), so I decided to try it with peaches and basil. And substitute tequila for the brandy, since peaches and tequila are always a winning combination....

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A particularly easy (and satisfying) method for making crushed ice.

Since my next cocktail calls for crushed ice, I thought I'd share this super-easy way I've discovered to make crushed ice. My previous method was: buy something at whole foods. Ask for one of the little bags of ice they give you to keep your groceries cold on the way home. Voila! Crushed ice! Only there are a few problems, like the difficulty of getting the ice home without it melting into a huge clump of non-crushed ice. Also the fact that...

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Blackberry Sage Cooler

I'm always looking for new flavor pairings, so when Page got blackberry sage tea at the black walnut last saturday, I knew what I was going to try next. I figured I'd start with gin as a base, since gin, with its mix of herby/woody flavors, usually pairs well with herbs. The result? Fantastic. But don't take my word for it. You'll need: 4 sage leaves (from the back porch!) 6 blackberries (I bought mine at the grocery store (they're from Mexico...that's...

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Backyard Peach Daiquiri

I have created the drink that will boost me to greatness. To which you say: "Surely you are exaggerating." To which I say: "You gotta try this." My flavor inspiration: I have a little weber grill. It is blue and I love it, and sometimes people come over on Sunday nights and everyone brings things for the grill. Once Cyndy brought peaches, and after all the burgers were finished grilling she put the peaches on the grill, each with a scoop of...

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The Pimm's Cup

Pimm's No. 1 is a liqueur from Great Britian. It's gin-based, with lots of fruit and herb flavors up in the mix, and at 25 percent alcohol it's roughly half as boozy as say, vodka or tequila. If you did not need the above explanation you are probably a snooty mixologist type, since most people I meet have never heard of this stuff. Or you're British. Pimm's No. 1 is the essential ingredient in a cocktail called the Pimm's Cup, which is to Wimbledon...

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How to make your own simple syrup.

Simple syrup, sometimes called bar syrup or sugar syrup (or gomme syrup to the Britishers*), is one part sugar and one part water. You can buy it at the liquor store, but it's super easy to make your own: mix one cup of sugar and one cup of water in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until all the sugar dissolves and the syrup is clear. Bottle the syrup (a funnel will come in handy here) and keep it in the fridge for up to a month. *I just looked this up and it turns out that, although many people use "gomme syrup" to mean just plain simple...

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Blackberry Ginger Mojito

Fresh blackberries at the farmers market + explosion of mint in the backyard + ginger ale left over from last cocktail project = this. You're welcome. Gather together: 7 fresh, delicious Texas blackberries 6 mint leaves 1.5 oz rum (or 2, but only if you really like rum) .5 oz lime juice (make it fresh - your mojito will thank you) .5 oz simple syrup (I use a simple syrup made with turbinado sugar in my mojitos - I like to think it gives them...

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Peachtree Street Mule

Named for the street Scarlett O'Hara lives on in Atlanta. I might be just a little obsessed with Gone with the Wind. (Thanks Paul for the idea.) Inspired by the bounty of delicious peaches I got at the farmers market, I decided to try more peach drinks. There's one, the Peach Donkey (I'm guessing it's called a donkey because of the habit of calling mixed drinks with vodka and ginger ale a "mule") from this book that I'd been wanting to try....

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Texas Summer Sangria

I am obsessed with this book. Seriously. Since buying it I have become such a sangria fiend that I now think of sangria as a season. In much the same way that some people welcome the coming of fall because it means the beginning of football season, I welcome spring because it means that I can make sangria again. I've made almost every sangria recipe in the book, so it was sort of inevitable that eventually I would create my own. I wanted...

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Champagne Cocktails

Champagne cocktails are some of my favorites - they're super easy to make (they mix themselves!) and what is more, they are nearly impossible to screw up. Take the classic champagne cocktail, the mimosa. Not enough orange juice? No problem! It just tastes like champagne! And people love champagne. Add too much orange juice? No problem! Orange juice is delicious! Pretty much, the formula is fruit + champagne. One good thing + another good thing...

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Blackberry-raspberry puree

I fear blenders. Okay, fear is the wrong word. I distrust blenders. Mostly because I always buy the second-cheapest blender at Target or Wal-Mart or wherever (because the cheapest one is assuredly a total piece of crap, right?), and the only thing I ever try to do with a blender is crush ice to make frozen drinks, which is inevitably a disaster. What always happens is that you end up with the finest of snows at the bottom of the blender while...

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